


Salvation

by Shattered_worth



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beloved, Blood, Clones, DDLG, Daddy Kink, Death, Depression, Dom/sub, Drama, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fire, Hate, Heart Stone, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Longing, Love, Lust, Original Character(s), Pain, Sadness, Sex, Smut, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Violence, abilities, joy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:42:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26239543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shattered_worth/pseuds/Shattered_worth
Summary: Loki was captured in the battle of New York, but instead of sending him back to Asgard, the Avengers locked him in a cell in the tower. With new orders from Odin two months later, the Avengers must let him out and keep him in the tower. Loki is depressed, angry, and ready to give up. He lost the most precious thing in the world to him, and he has no cares for anyone. Unless, perhaps there was hope all along.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s), Reader-insert potential
Comments: 16
Kudos: 100





	1. Chapter One

Truthfully, Loki had expected to be returned and imprisoned in Asgard after his stunt on earth. It was what the avengers wanted at least, to keep him tight under lock and key in the tower. They wanted his scepter anyhow as their science-oriented minds tried to comprehend the magic and power of the stone within the staff. He was entirely annoyed with his imprisonment being on earth, hejust merely hadn’t entertained the notion until it had already been decided.

He was escorted up to the fourteenth floor. It was ideal, apparently, because it wasn’t close enough to the top for him to escape via aircraft, but it also wasn’t low enough to the ground that he could escape without having a few floors of agents, assassins, genetically modified men, or rocket powered suits to go through. Stark had reluctantly agreed to an agent detail stationed around the floor as well, which was more of a demand from Fury than it was a request. Stark, however, did ban the agents from entering into the living quarters of the avengers. That was something he was quite strict on, installing ID panels In nearly every room surrounding the fourteenth floor and the teams’ living quarters. Alyssa was the exception.

Stark had known her before the Avengers were ever really assembled. She’d known Nat and Clint pretty well as she was a high-clearance agent, and through Natasha’s association with Stark, he got to know her. She wasn’t a typical agent. Very little was known about her past, even less than what was known about Natasha. She was a very private person, and her record of foster families didn’t help explain much about who she was or how she came to be. When asked about it, really she didn’t have much of an answer to give. She can’t remember most of her childhood or anything about her foster families. Everything from before the age of fifteen was totally blank to her. The first thing she remembers is waking up in a house on fire, and that’ had been her life ever since.

Tony also loved her personality. She was strong, witty, kind, and gentle-spirited despite being a trained killer. She was just a unique person. The whole team loved her.

Anyway, she was one of the few granted permission to come and go as she pleased. Tony even set her up a room on the floor with the Avengers, something she gladly accepted since she was one of the few agents entrusted to monitor Loki. She never personally interacted with him, or his brother for that matter, but she kept an eye out from the monitors throughout the tower. Mostly she spent her time in the lab with Tony and Bruce, or in the training arena on the tenth floor with Steve and Natasha. Clint was more often than not, home with his family in an undisclosed location. She and Nat were the only two aware of his circumstances, but no one else really seemed to question his whereabouts. Thor had gone back to Asgard to try to bring back the balance in his realm, and Rhodes bounced back and forth between the tower and the army.

“Ow,” she winced, narrowing her eyes at Bruce as he extracted another blood sample from her arm.

“Sorry,” he said, smiling apologetically. “Last time.”

She flipped over her wrist and exposed her palm, watching with a pained expression as he scraped some cells off.

“I’m just hopeful that you find something this time. I’m tired of being poked and prodded,” she teased, wiping some of the blood from her hand.

“You and me both,” he agreed.

“Well, I’m just saying, my equipment is a little more hi-tech than that outdated junk S.H.I.E.L.D. uses,” Tony chimed in.

Bruce was primarily working out of the hellicarrier during Loki’s invasion, and in his spare time, he’d taken to trying to analyze Alyssa. After all, he couldn’t understand her abilities. Genetically speaking, there didn’t seem to be an explanation for it. Then again, he hadn’t divided her cells and scrutinized them on a molecular level on the hellicarrier like he was about to do now.

“It’s going to be very disappointing if your so-called hi-tech equipment proves to be just as useless as S.H.I.E.L.D.’s. I’m just saying,” she retorted smartly.

Tony rolled his eyes,” Look, kid, if your issues don’t show up here, then I don’t think it’s genetic.”

She shrugged,” I don’t know. Maybe I’ve absorbed some of Loki’s magic or whatever he calls it.”

“You’ve had that a lot longer than he’s been on earth,” Bruce pointed out sarcastically.

She huffed, and wiped the blood from her arm on a swab of cotton. She bandaged the little pin-prick hole in her arm and glanced over at the wall of glass that somehow functioned as a holographic display. She pushed her hair back and hopped down from the counter to amble towards the unoccupied monitor. In a few taps and a series of passwords, she was watching Loki walk around in his cell. The one he was in now was very similar to the one aboard the hellicarrier. It was mostly glass, however there was a tiny space blocked out with white walls for the shower and toilet. The rest of the cell was pretty empty. There was a long white bench against one side of the glass, and on the other there was a short bed, one that the giant she was watching could barely fit on. It had been two months since his invasion, and yet Loki hadn’t once complained about his conditions. It both intrigued and worried her. She’d voiced these concerns to Stark. Loki seemed very interested in his walking, and he did read the books they’d given him, though they’d only held his interest for a very short amount of time.

“Are you sure there’s no way for him to get out? He never complains about his cell and I don’t believe anyone is just that accepting of their punishment,” she sighed.

Tony glanced up and stared at the hologram gracing the screen from the other side.

“Hulk couldn't smash through that one. You couldn’t burn through it. This one doesn’t plummet from the sky, and Thor isn’t here to fall for his tricks. Not to mention he’s got those...cuffs on or whatever they are.”

“And they restrict his magic completely?”

“Well, no. They make his magic incredibly weak. All he can really do with them on is party tricks. You know, street magician stuff. Nothing special. Definitely no mind games and, without the scepter, he can’t do much of that really anyway.

She nodded acquiescently,” Fine. I’m gonna check on the guys down there. I haven’t made my rounds since...well, since I moved in two months ago. Let me know what you find out, Bruce.”

“Huh?” He asked pushing his glasses up as he deposited some of her blood in a disc. “Oh, yeah, yeah, I will.”

“Hey, seriously!” Tony called out behind,”Be smart! Don’t fall for anything if you go in!”

“Yeah, yeah, what’s he going to do from behind eight inches of glass,” she retorted, rolling her eyes.


	2. Chapter Two

She walked through the doors after being granted access with the facial scanner, one of Tony’s first layers of security points. It was the most effective until everyone found out that Loki can shape-shift, apparently. It was one of the more annoying abilities he possessed. She typed in her code and the door slid open to reveal three guards sitting around a table, laughing, drinking soda and playing cards. She lifted a brow at them and leaned back against the wall, waiting.

“Agent Lawson,” James, the commander of their unit, stammered, scrambling to his feet.

“Been a while, hasn’t it? Thought I’d come down and check up on all of you. Doesn’t seem like I’ve missed much,” she snapped.

“Agent Lawson, we were just—“ another added, Bryce.

They were all standing at attention now. She gritted her teeth and glanced towards the screen that displayed Loki in his cell, alongside about a dozen other guards stationed inside. They were all at attention, all completely aware and on guard, facing away from the cell as they’re supposed to in order to prevent any mind games. Only one guard was meant to be walking, observing from the other side of the room, and they alternated positions hourly. Though, she did see three of the guards inside shift and take a few steps forward and backwards, just stretching their legs.

“I don’t particularly care for your excuses. You’re responsible for the most dangerous criminal earth has ever seen, and he’s just on the other side of that wall. And what are you doing? Playing spades?”

“We’ll put it away, ma’am. We were just taking a short break and started having fun. That was wrong of us, I’m sorry. This is my team and they’re my responsibility,” James said, bowing his head submissively.

She pursed her lips together and opened her mouth to respond when she felt the ground shake. Instantly her eyes shot to the cell where she saw Loki grin almost imperceptibly.

“Agent Lawson,” Jarvis interrupted,” it appears Thor has returned. Mr. Stark would like to gather the team for a meeting in the board room now.”

She lifted her brows, intrigued. She’d yet to meet the supposed God of Thunder, but she was certainly interested now. She pressed a button on the wall, the intercom, and watched all the agents in the room with the cell straighten up at the chime of it.

“Straighten up, boys, Thunder’s here.”

She leaned back and stared at the three men in there with the controls.

“We’re going to have a talk soon about your behavior. In the mean time, keep an eye on the inmate. And no more cards,” she hissed, slamming the door behind her.

_____

She was already spinning back and forth in her chair in the boardroom by the time Steve and Thor entered. They were the last to arrive, and Steve pushed her chair in with his foot. He sunk into the chair on her left, and she rolled her eyes.

She was too focused on her thoughts to comment, even when he flicked her elbow lightly to garner her attention. She just shot him a curious gaze. She certainly felt like she’d been slacking on her duties. Before she moved into the tower, she was on rotation with other high-clearance agents. Three days on, four days off. On her off time, she was on missions, infiltrating remaining Hydra bases or black market groups to retrieve remnants of alien materials discarded from the battle. Killing was not really her specialty, although she was good at it and trained to be an assassin. She liked brining her targets down and knocking them out long enough to haul their asses back to the base where they could be detained. It was one of the few areas that she and Natasha did not see eye to eye. After she’d moved into the tower, with Stark’s insistence, her most time-consuming responsibilities became her training to get her abilities back under control and helping with research on where she came from or how she got her abilities. Occasionally, she still did missions, but they were becoming few and far between since Loki became her full-time charge. She didn’t have to spend much time down there, however. Thor bounced back and forth, bringing things from Asgard for Loki’s comfort and meeting with the rest of the team. She was rarely included on these meetings, but something seemed to require her presence today. When Thor did happen to stop by, she was either out on a mission or being admitted for more scans by Bruce. This would be her first introduction, and now she was convinced that the god of thunder would be disappointed with the men she’d kept in rotation. Yes, she’d definitely be having a talk with them later. 

“Hello, everyone!” Thor said jovially, smiling fondly at his Midgardian friends.

"Uh, hello, my lady,” Thor hesitated, his deep, booming voice echoing around the small room. His eyes were focused on hers, as though he were trying to discern something.

Alyssa offered a short wave, but before she could properly introduce herself, Stark was cutting in. 

“Thor, this is Agent Alyssa Lawson.”

“Oh, forgive me, Agent Lawson. I had assumed your family name was your given and thus…expected a man. It is nice to meet you,” he grinned.

She smirked lightly at his confusions and nodded her indifference. “Nice to meet you,” she responded. 

He smiled, and then nodded, his expression turning somber. 

“I’ve returned to earth with some news. You might not be too pleased—neither am I—but I must first say that I am aware of the situation and I understand the concerns you may have. However, this is an order from the AllFather and the AllMother and therefore I am in no position to argue this.”

“What now?” Tony sighed.

Thor removed a silver sphere from his waist, then pressed inwards on the sides. Two thin gold rings ejected from the center, and when he grabbed them from their slots, they extended with a click.

“These are anklets. They are identical to the bands my brother wears on his wrists. Though they are thin and lightweight, they are carved with ancient runes and imbued with magic. Only the person who places them is able to remove them. They are further insurance that my brother will not escape and cannot use his magic at all.”

“So far all I’m hearing is good things. The more security the better,” Tony answered.

“Yes, well... You see, my mother wishes for Loki to return to Asgard. My father, on the other hand, does not wish for my brother to return unless he proves himself worthy. To do this, he must live in peace among you mortals for a year. He must not quarrel; he must be helpful; and he may not harm anyone unless it is for the good of the citizens and this team. We need to remove him from the cell—“

“Woah, there, point break. Loki isn’t leaving the cell,” Tony interjected, shaking his head.

“You don’t understand, Stark, it is important to reintroduce him to society if he has any hope of rejoining my family in Asgard.”

“He killed EIGHTY PEOPLE in two days!” Tony shouted back,” I don’t care if he ever gets to go back home.”

“I think we should give him a chance,” Steve added.

Alyssa glanced to him in surprise, and he shrugged lightly.

“Look, prison sentences are supposed to rehabilitate people, not make them resent others even more. If we don’t let him out, eventually he’ll find a way to breakout and then we have no control over him and he could vanish. I say we handle this while we can, put the bands on him and make him live on the floor with us. Jarvis can let us know if he even moves in his sleep and then we can easily manage him before he has a chance to escape or hurt anyone.”

It was actually a very well thought out answer, and Alyssa was impressed. Thor looked hopeful at the chance of getting his brother back. Natasha frowned. Tony was furious. Rhodey was staring at the table, and Bruce was just listening quietly.

“Or he gets into your head and convinces you to kill one of us while he escapes,” Tony said sharply. “Let’s put it to a vote.”

Everyone seemed to at least agree on that.

“Captain?” Thor inquired.

“I say yes. I think we are equipped to handle it, and then in a year he won’t be our problem anymore.”

“Tony?”

“Hell, no.”

Alyssa tilted her head in acknowledgement. At least he was consistent.

“Rhodes?”

He looked up, glanced at Steve and then to Tony. “No, man, I’m sorry. I don’t trust the guy. I’m with Tony.”

“Natasha?”

“He manipulated Barton. I don’t think we can trust him, either...I say no.”

“Banner?”

“I’ve hurt a lot of people, killed a lot of people. I was given a second chance, so I say he deserves one, too. My answer is yes.”

“I say, yes as well. Agent Lawson, it appears the final decision comes down to you.”

She frowned and looked over at Tony who wore a straight-faced expression, and then to Steve who tilted his head, patiently waiting.

“I think we’d be stupid to trust him. But...I know I’ve done some terrible things in my past. It would be hypocritical of me to not give him a chance. If he tried anything, his magic would subdued, and we’re all powerful enough to take him. I say yes. My question is, who’s going to go put the bands on him?”

Tony gritted his teeth and turned away.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Thor, but he tricks you too easily. You’re too partial to him,” Natasha said.

“I know,” he agreed.

“I’ve had personal issues with him. If I put them on I may never take them off,” Nat admitted.

“I don’t trust that I won’t Hulk out and run off somewhere if somebody pisses me off,” Bruce agreed.

“I’m not doing it,” Tony said.

Rhodey shrugged,” I don’t want to get near him. I won’t be here most of the time anyway.”

“Alyssa or I can do it. We’re the most impartial In this room. Both of us are strong enough to take him if necessary.”

“Not to question you, my lady, but, even without his seidr, his magic, my brother is very strong. He has the might of an ox.”

“That’s not an issue,” she assured him mildly.

He stared at her, waiting for further explanation and she huffed.

“Let’s just say I hulk out, only my temper is a little more catastrophic.”

He nodded in understanding. “Well then, why don’t we have each of you place one.”

“Fine,” Steve agreed.


	3. Chapter Three

They decided to sleep on it and make sure they were still comfortable with their decision, and when it came time, Steve started hesitating, saying that they should take a few days and introduce him to some new people and see how he reacts. Since Alyssa was going to be shackling him essentially, Thor thought it would be a good idea for them to talk.

“Do you think it’ll really even matter?” She asked over breakfast.

“Loki is untrusting of others. He’s also been through a lot in his life. There are things...things that no one should have to endure, all the more magnified for Loki, that I can’t easily explain. I think it would be wise to introduce yourself before you enter his cell and place an inhibitor around his ankle.”

She frowned at the information, but nonetheless she agreed. It would be smart to evaluate his stance on her from the safety of the other side of the cell than from inside. Thor ate another pop tart and stared at her for a moment.

“You look very familiar to me, though I can’t place you,” he said with drawn brows.

She shrugged,” I was in the city during the attack, escorting people to safety. You might have seen me then.”

He hummed in agreement, and then after breakfast they walked together to where Loki was kept. Steve had opted out of the rendezvous, having spent a decent amount of time around him already. Thor agreed to go because he wanted to see his brother after two months of absence, not to mention the fact that he was still rather worried about what Loki might try on the girl. Loki, more often than not, had a very low tolerance for women. The reasons for that were too complicated for him to explain to the girl, but they were reason enough to warrant his presence when Loki finally met her. Her name in particular, worried him. He was concerned about Loki’s response. 

Alyssa entered her ID number on the keypad and authenticated the facial scanner identification. Thor, on the other hand, used a retina Identification scan.

“How come you only had to do the facial scan?” He asked as they entered the control room.

She lifted a brow at the boys that were present, same ones from yesterday. They swallowed nervously in their attention salutes. There were no cards in sight, only a few water canteens and some snacks, but the table had been pushed back into its rightful place instead of being drawn to the center of the room.

“Something to do with my...talents,” she responded vaguely, scanning her eyes over James.

She gestured with a nod towards the door of the control room which was the only access point to the cell, " Open it up. We’re going to have a little meeting.”

James nodded and swiftly moved to the control panel, entering a series of numbers and letters on the entry pad to be able to grant her and Thor access. After a moment, the door slid open, and then a layer of bars raised upwards, revealing the staircase down. Thor went first, wanting to block Loki’s sight partially from her because he just knew his brother would have something to say. Alyssa kept her eyes on the stairs as the doors shut behind her. The guards down below were watching, and the moment they saw them they straightened up even more, standing impossibly taller.

“My, how well they follow orders,” Loki teased, chuckling darkly from his cell.

The way sound carried from his glass cage definitely made the entire situation feel creepier. His voice was deeper than she’d expected, more rich in that Asgardian-accented, formal tone. Although Thor’s was louder, his accent was lighter, sounding more relaxed than his brother’s. Loki’s voice vibrated around his cell and echoed menacingly around the concrete room. It had a chill to it that made her spine quiver. She was a seasoned enough agent to not let it show.

“That is something you’d want in an agent. Willful obedience—” she responded, glancing towards them and their heavily armored uniforms, “not that you would know.”

Loki chuckled, and the guards tightened their grips on the large guns in their hands.

“There's a lot of confidence stored in such a small person,” he retorted dryly.

She finally turned back to face him, having ignored him long enough to annoy him. The goal was to get him to trust her, though she could tell his brand of trust didn’t come without a heavy dose of mischief. Even with the two foot height advantage that the cell offered, he still seemed like he would tower over her if he were next to her. His eyes shone a vivid green, matched almost perfectly to his Asgardian leisure wear—clothes Thor had brought for him from home. His raven-colored curls were brushed back off his face, and it had gotten so long since his attack that now it brushed his shoulders. Miraculously though he had no trace of even a five o’clock shadow. He was eyeing her, raking his eyes up and down her figure until they finally landed on her face. A strange expression crossed his features but he remained silent about whatever it was that he detected. 

“I back it up well,” she told him.

His eyes narrowed for a moment, scrutinizing her as if she were concealing something from him. He couldn’t place it, but there definitely seemed to be some sort of illusion over her. Perhaps she’d had some sort of work done on her face. She was still pretty, but she looked different. Strange. Her hair was nearly the shade of his, eyes a vivid brown, and skin quite fair. It didn’t fit. Why didn’t it match? For a moment, Loki stood, silently observing her. The way she breathed, the flicker of color in her eyes, the way her feet shifted almost imperceptibly as she tried to stand her ground and maintain eye contact.

“Brother, I’ve brought word from home,” Thor interjected, hoping to deter whatever thoughts Loki was having.

“I’m not your brother, Thor, and Asgard was never my home,” Loki retorted coldly.

“It was once. I remember us playing as children. I remember you being happy. I remember you running off to—“

“Don’t,” Loki said, his voice slicked with hatred, with anger and an iciness she’d never seen before.

She could practically feel the temperature drop, and if the ice forming beneath his feet was any indication, his magic was still very viable even with the restricting bands on his wrists. She wasn’t sure what Thor was about to say, but she decided it was best she ignored it and changed the subject.

“There’s a way for you to get out of this cell,” Alyssa said, watching his harsh gaze turn on her.

“What, in twenty years or whenever your scientists find me uninteresting?” He prompted.

“Next week,” she directed back.

“Why would you be foolish enough to release me?” He asked, turning to look at Thor.

Her eyes skated down his figure. His was tall, not thin necessarily but lithe and muscular. His dark green tunic was more of a looser fitting material, and the dark leather vest he wore over it hung long as well. His black trousers, which appeared to be some sort of leather blend, were folded over his dark boots. He looked like a cross between something angelic and something far, far worse.

“It is Father’s order.”

“You mean, Mother’s.”

Thor looked uneasy,” Mother prompted it, yes, but Father agreed. There would, of course, be some stipulations. Rules that you must follow absolutely, Loki.”

Loki tilted his head. “Am I not to kill anyone?” He mused darkly.

“You have to live in the tower, on the same level with the Avengers. You have to prove that you’ve changed. You have to be amicable, helpful, kind. You cannot reveal to anyone outside of the tower that you are here, which means you can’t leave the building. You have to live here, for a year without causing any trouble,” Alyssa said.

Loki grinned tightly,” So I’m to escape this cell only to enter my new prison.”

“Only for a year, Loki. If you can prove that you’ve changed, that you’re willing to learn, Father will let you come home.”

“Am I to challenge my own destiny? Or have you forgotten, _brother,”_ Loki seethed.

“It will be hard. I grant you that, but it isn’t impossible. Others have done it,” Thor argued.

“No, Thor, others have gone to the Norns and prayed for release from their fate, and only then do the Norns allow them something as sweet as death,” Loki said sharply, though behind his gaze she could see a clear longing—a brokenness she didn’t know existed.

“Then you do your best. You will not harm anyone. You will not be cruel. You will not antagonize or incite harm for your own enjoyment. And then, when your year is up and you’ve managed that, I will accompany you myself to ask the Norns for their blessings on your behalf.”

“And then what, Thor? Then, I journey to Valhalla? If the Norns reject my offer, then what? I go right back into a cage until death takes me.”

“Then you go. Wherever you want, brother. You go. You leave Midgard and if it is your wish to leave Asgard—you go wherever you please. I give you my word that I won’t follow you. I cannot begin to comprehend your pain, but I give you my word, I want you to find peace.”

Alyssa felt completely out of the loop on whatever they were discussing. Loki seemed pained, angry, and dejected about whatever it was, but Thor, too, seemed to understand that whatever Loki’s fate was—it was somehow set in stone.

“One year, and then I’m free to go,” Loki checked.

Thor nodded,” One year of good behavior, then we go to the Norns. And then, you’re free to go.”

Loki bowed his head and turned away. “I’ll cooperate.”

Thor looked to the girl and nodded. “Your magic will be completely restricted. In addition to the bands on your wrist, you’ll have two more put on your ankles.”

“Fine.”

His tone was final and dismissive. She wasn’t sure what he was struggling with but whatever it was, she felt somewhat responsible. As if she were the guilty party. She shook her head of the thoughts as she and a Thor left, walking in silence up the stairs and out of the control room. She wanted to ask what all that meant, but judging from the look on Thor’s face, he didn’t seem keen on discussing it. Tony, however, didn’t read the room.

As soon as they were back in the common room on the teams’ floor, everyone seemed to have already gathered to watch the interaction, and Tony had no intentions of letting any secrets remain such.

“What the hell was that?” He imploded. “Are you keeping something from us? Is Loki planning something?”

“Stark, this is not a matter that I wish to discuss at present. Our conversation did not concern you, and it is of no importance to Midgard.”

“There’s not a chance in hell that I’m going to let Reindeer games walk around here with a secret. Fess up, or you can kiss his freedom goodbye.”

Thor sighed and leaned against the bar to face everyone seated in the living room. He shook his head lightly.

“There is a prediction of sorts, about my brother. His…actions in the past play a direct hand in his future. Because of certain events, Loki’s soul has been tainted, part of it lost forever. There is no going back. There is no reversing it or repairing it. Loki is fated to live a life of misery, pain, and loneliness. It is, as you would say, set into stone. Quite literally, in this case. There have been others with similar predictions about them. Certain actions can lead them away from this path. Against Loki’s own will, he was unable to fulfill those requirements, and as a result his actions will eventually no longer become his own. Gods with this fate may only be relieved of their failed duties by begging the Norns for death, so that they may enter Valhalla and know peace. If the Norns reject the offering, the god is left to wander the realms aimlessly, inflicting great harm to themselves until their soul disintegrates.” 

“So, what, Loki wants to escape his cell and go back to Asgard to speak with the Norns…so he can die?” Bruce asked, his brows knitted in confusion. 

“Yes, but death alone cannot free him. If he dies without the Norns grace, his soul will be destroyed and he will cease to exist.” 

“But his soul would continue in Valhalla if they allowed it?” 

“It would. Loki would be forgiven for his failures and be rejoined with—with peace,” Thor caught himself. 

“If they say no, he’d just go on another killing spree,” Tony presumed tightly. 

“If they eject his offering, he could potentially inflict danger on other realms. Though Loki would be wont to do that. In some cases, the Norns may change their minds, but he would have to prove himself worthy. He would not be able to bring harm to anyone but himself. Self-inflicted wounds would show his remorse and sorrow. The Norns have changed their minds for gods in the past. It would be his best path if he is denied.” 

“So, we let him out, then,” Steve said. “Give him the choice to redeem himself so he can go ask to be put down.” 

His words weren’t cold, but they were firm and somber. Steve understood feeling like a failure. He didn’t now what Loki had endured or how it led to such an intense desire for death, but he wouldn’t make judgements. Everyone else seemed satisfied with that arrangement. 


	4. Chapter Four

A week had passed since the Avengers were cued in on parts of Loki’s story. No one knew what exactly had been required of Loki or what he’d done to fail, but no matter how many times they had asked Thor, he had refused to answer them. Alyssa had been on edge lately as well. For some reason her abilities had been disagreeing with her, reacting and fluctuating. Stark had bumped the temperatures down to help keep her cool, but it still didn’t feel like much of a solution. She’d been doing training with Bruce to try to help get a better grasp on it, and they seemed to have been helping.

She and Steve went together to Loki’s cell. He seemed more downtrodden today than he had before. He was seated on the bench, and his hair was more messy than usual. He didn’t look up when they walked down the stairs. The avengers were waiting in the control room, ready to react if they needed to, but it didn’t seem necessary. The door to the cell slid open, and Steve walked in first. Loki finally lifted his head to observe them. He stared at them, then quietly held out his ankles I’m front of them.

He seemed utterly defeated, and Thor had told her that he was angry. Angry at Thor for providing details about his life that he’d wanted to keep hidden. He didn’t seem angry though. He just seemed like he’d surrendered. Steve knelt down first, regarding Loki with great caution as he quickly fastened the anklet. Loki’s features seemed to screw up imperceptibly, but he didn’t resist. She wondered if it physically hurt, or if perhaps it just hurt his pride. Steve took a step back and nodded to the girl, indicating it was her turn. She knelt in front of him and retracted the band, watching it pulse slightly with a glow of light as it neared him. 

“Thor told you all about my fate,” he stated darkly. 

His voice, such a deep, dark, velvety timbre, made her tense. It was even lower, more seductive than it had sounded from outside the cell. She cast a brief glance up at him and nodded, popping the clasp open. 

“Are you pleased?” He said smugly. 

Her eyes narrowed as she glanced up at him, slightly agitated that he even considered she might be the sort to rejoice in others’ pain. She wasn’t, but then again, she was a stranger to Loki even if she knew him somewhat. He couldn’t possibly know enough about her or her character to make assumptions. 

“I don’t take joy in the pain or suffering of others, even you, Loki.” 

She snapped the band around his ankle and he scoffed quietly. 

“They’re making a mockery out of me,” he said with a mirthless, thin smirk. 

She frowned as she stepped back, even as Steve clasped his hand over her shoulder. He snatched it back swiftly, shaking his hand lightly. She’d zapped him unintentionally. She glanced behind her, offering an apologetic smile. He shrugged it off but didn’t try to touch her again. 

“Let’s go,” he said, not in a commanding way, but it wasn’t exactly a suggestion. 

“What do you mean? Who’s making a mocker out of you?” She pressed, intrigued. 

Was he referring to the team? His parents? 

“The Norns, girl. The resemblance…the mannerisms…it is uncanny.” 

She opened her mouth to say something else when Thor cleared his throat from the entrance. 

“Agent, Captain…you can escort him out.” 

Alyssa walked forward without really considering the fact that she was turning her back on the mischievous god, but Steve rounded her, keeping his eyes on Loki. And so, the year began.


	5. Chapter Five

“Are you okay?” Natasha asked, moving to stand beside Alyssa.

She shrugged. Loki had been out for a few days by that point, and the fluctuation in her powers only seemed to be getting worse. Tony wanted to blame Loki, but it obviously not his doing as his powers were severely limited, if any remained at all. 

“I’m fine. I just—feel off. Like my head is going to explode any minute from the pressure and exertion,” she said ruefully, putting on a pot of coffee.

That was the other thing. She kept having flashbacks in her dreams which were quickly becoming nightmares. At times, wakes up sweating on charred sheets, recalling where she first woke up without her memories. Other times, she seems to be remembering things, just little fragments. Riding a bike as a child, walking to school, falling down on the playground. Even taking a shower or a bath when she was a child. he memories were strange and never seemed to really correlate, and it unnerved her. She hadn’t slept much in the past day or so and it was making her headaches worse, hence the onslaught of coffee in her system. Her powers were probably just riled up because of the caffeine and lack of sleep, but that didn’t make it okay. Regardless of how little or how much sleep she got, she needed to have a handle on her abilities. 

“Still not sleeping?” Nat pressed, nudging her own mug forward for Alyssa to fill. 

She shrugged. 

“You know, I still don’t trust him. Even though there haven’t been any incidents, and he’s been cordial. His path shouldn’t excuse what he did.And, he's quiet still. When he was in his cell, he had a lot to say. Since he’s gotten out, or since Thor admitted to him he told us pieces of everything, I guess, He hasn’t put on as much of a show. “

“I think he’s done hiding and pretending. If he can make it through a year with us...he can die and find peace. Maybe he’s just resigned to that,” Alyssa suggested, pouring creamer into her coffee.

“Maybe. Stark’s been trying to dig up some information. Thor is still reluctant to speak about it."

“I guess it doesn’t really change things. Stark’s persistence might be pushing him away though.” 

Nat frowned and then turned to face her for a moment,” Did your results with Banner ever turn out? Maybe there’s an environmental stressor or something that’s triggering your flare up.” 

Alyssa considered the quick change in topic and then shrugged,” Let’s go find out.” 

The two agents walked together to the lab in relative silence. It was still early, but Bruce and Tony seemed to always be in the lab regardless of what time it was. Bruce was typing away something in his digital notebook, kept separate from the monitor so he had more room to work with, and every few seconds he adjusted the three-dimensional projection. It was a model made of tiny circles and wiggling crescents. 

She gave a slight knock on the door,” Hey.”

Bruce glanced up and smiled, taking off his glasses,” Hey, what's up?”

“Uh, just curious how my results came back. Find anything interesting?”

Tony turned down the music that he was blaring at the back of the lab. His arm was encased in a robotic sleeve that he was tinkering with, and whatever he was doing with the wires made the arc reactor in his chest brighten and dim. Curious. 

Natasha sauntered through the lab to pick up a blaster Tony had been working on. She adjusted some things on the side of it and held it up like she were about to use it.

“Oh, I’m glad you came by. I thought I’d told you. Um, I can’t really find anything. Your cells look normal, your blood looks normal—it’s nothing on a molecular level at least. Nothing reactive to any radiation,” he shrugged.

“So that’s it then? I just go on about my day without ever having an explanation for my abilities?”

Natasha set the gun down and looked back at her, offering a small, apologetic smile.

“I guess we could run more tests, but, Alyssa, really I think it’s maybe a mutant thing. I don’t know,” Bruce offered, shaking his head. “I’d like to maybe run some scans, get a look at what’s going on in your head when you’re flaring up and when you’re resting. Could be some sort of chemical imbalance combined with…I don’t know. I called someone—an old friend who deals with mutants—and he seems to think he could help. 

She sighed, and looked down at her feet.

“If you were going to find anything, you would’ve found it by now,” Tony chimed in, swatting Nat away from his gadget table.

“Well, then, until we can figure out what’s happening, at the very least, I need to be doing some meditating. Could you show me some more techniques later? Just so I don’t spontaneously combust,” she laughed awkwardly.

“Yeah, of course. I’ll be done in here after lunch.”

She and Nat returned to the living room together, not having expected to see the two Asgardians since they’d spent most their time in their rooms or on the training floor. She opened her mouth to ask Nat if she wanted to go somewhere else, but she was stopped by Thor.

“Alyssa, where’ve you been? You’ve been missing our training sessions!” He announced loudly, leaving Loki alone on the couch to read his book.

“I didn’t realize there were sessions I’d skipped out on,” she responded.

“Of course! I’m very curious about your talents; I’d like to see them in action. Why don’t we go now?”

“Oh, no,” Nat said, shooting that down immediately,”she’s out of action for a few weeks.”

Loki glanced up at that, having been ignoring them previously. For some reason he couldn’t simply not ignore her. She’d been at the back of his mind, nudging him towards some sort of conclusion. He had neither the energy nor the ability to discern it, it seemed, but regardless, he was very intrigued by her. He wanted to learn more about her allegedly mysterious past. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some sort of veiled magic over her either, though without his own he could never really be sure. 

“Why’s that? Are you hurt, agent?”

She laughed when Thor grabbed her shoulders and looked her over,” No, I’m fine. It’s just, ah, well my abilities have been fluctuating lately. It’s still pretty new to me even though I’ve managed to get it under control over the past two years. The past week or so though, it’s just been harder to suppress. It feels like it’s getting stronger.”

“You know I still haven’t heard the story about how you got them or what you can do.”

“There’s no story,” Nat said, glancing towards Loki inconspicuously, though he saw the curiosity in her eyes. His narrowed but he stayed silent.

“What do you mean? You weren’t born with these abilities, I thought.”

“I wasn’t. There’s just no story because I don’t remember much of anything prior to three years ago. I know my past because of records and documents and such, but there was nothing that ever alluded to me being different. All I know is that one day I woke up with a massive headache and no real recollection of how I got there.”

She moved past him to place her mug in the sink, and then she turned back to grab a muffin.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. had found me at a warehouse after receiving a tip that someone was about to blow the building up. Apparently, I had been tied to a chair and ignited a fire around me. I had no control of it then.”

“So your ability is controlling fire? Does it burnt you?”

“It can. I was locked in a chamber, sort of like the one your brother has been in,” she said, acknowledging Loki’s steady gaze on her.

“I was in there for about six months just focusing on my breathing and meditating and keeping my thoughts together. The first few weeks, I didn’t know how to stop it. It didn’t really affect me at first. My clothes would be charred, but my skin and hair went unscathed. Then it got hotter and I didn't know how to cool it down. Anyway, I’ve discovered that when I run about 800 degrees, I’m fine. I start feeling warm at 1,200, I start burning at 2,000, and I pass out around 2,500. I think that’s my threshold.”

“So what have your powers been doing that’s caused them to fluctuate so much?”

She sighed and tilted her head.

“My abilities tend to be triggered by emotions and thoughts. I can make it appear, but sometimes it does it on its own. The other night I woke up to my pillows smoking and charred. A week ago, I was showering and the water temperature skyrocketed.”

“Perhaps I can help you since my power is also fire based.”

“Banners been helping me do some exercises and doing some breathing techniques, but if you think you can help, by all means.”

“Tomorrow we shall practice your control,” he smiled.

She agreed,”Yeah, okay, I think that would be good.”


	6. Chapter Six

Alyssa was a little unsure of Thor’s methods. His approach was far different from Bruce’s, who had tried to teach her control by working on her breathing and meditating to release her pent up anger and emotions. Thor wanted her to face them head on instead of trying to push them down or let them float away. It worried her a bit because, well, sometimes they got out of control. Really out of control.

For that reason, Tony had suggested she wear her thermal suit, which was specially designed to regulate her internal temperature and not burn off, leaving her naked. She complied, having agreed that he was probably right. After all, she didn’t really want to be left completely exposed to everyone if things went haywire.

She adjusted the sleeve on her suit anxiously, glancing up at Thor in the training arena, awaiting further instruction. He was getting flustered with her lack of confidence, so he was gradually getting louder. So far, every attempt to listen to his advice had only resulted in her arms spontaneously bursting. He was trying to help, but really everything he said only seemed to make it worse.

“Agent, you just need to trust yourself. You are letting your fear of blazing out of control keep you from your potential. We need to work on you handling your emotions in a more positive way. If you just push them down then you will never be able to use your abilities to their full potential. We need to face them, and learn to work with them—not against them.”

“I still think you just need work out your frustrations. Ya know, go to therapy, talk about your past,” Tony suggested, standing at the other side of the arena with a hi-tech fire extinguishing suit.

She rolled her eyes,” Let’s not go there, Stark.”

“My advice was to work out your frustrations on Steve. He’s practically indestructible and it would help with your hand-to-hand combat techniques,” Nat shrugged, grabbing another knife from the rack to keep her throwing skills strong.

As if to enunciate her point, she slung it, perfectly hitting the bull’s-eye.

“I am not easily harmed, Alyssa. You can practice on me, I assure you,” Thor told her, smiling.

She sighed, “I’m pretty sure even a super soldier and a god can be scorched.”

“Not necessarily. I channel lightning through me. It’s far hotter than any heat you can produce, I’m sure.” 

It wasn’t meant to be a jab at her abilities. She’d studied heat and fire, and lightning could get up to over 100,000 degrees. Still, her competitive nature took that as a challenge, and without thought, she stepped towards him and offered up her hand, wiggling her fingers tauntingly.

“Let’s test it, then.”

“Oh, this should be interesting,” Loki noted, piping up for the first time in a while.

He’d been instructed to stand over to the side, away from any potential weapons. He sat on the short stack of bleachers with one of his Asgardian books. She glanced over at him briefly and then returned her gaze to Thor.Thor chuckled and held his big hand up to hers, clearly unafraid.

She swallowed and closed her eyes. She focused on the quick, steady beat of her heart. It was fast because she was nervous, but she breathed through it. She felt it start to slow, flattening out as heat surged in the pit of her stomach, working up gradually through her chest and into her head. It dragged heavily through her arms, and she could feel her skin heating up. No fires or sparks, just an overwhelming heat. She was controlling it at first. It was manageable. She kept her breathing flat—deep breath in, slow release out. Through her nose, out through her mouth.

“I feel it getting warm. You’re doing great. Just keep it focused on my hand,” Thor said her, watching her inhale and exhale slowly.

She nodded curtly. It was working. In and out. _Thump, thump, thump_. Her heart was calm, relaxed by the intense heat worming its way through her. She tried to stay focused, but she could hear the quiet landing of Nat’s blade as she flipped it back and forth in her hand, the almost inaudible click of Tony’s suit gearing up for an explosion—and, for the briefest second, she felt worried that it would get away from her. It was the slightest distraction, but it was enough to make her lose concentration. She tried to regain it and grab onto her breathing and heart beat again, but all she could feel was the tingling sensation in her throat. She couldn’t breathe.

She coughed and tilted her head, readjusting her stance slightly to try to calm down. She was too on edge.

“Hey,” Thor began, tensing up.

He could feel a sharp dragging sensation through him. She was channeling him somehow, drawing some of the tension in his own electric energy to herself.

“Okay, let’s stop,” he said, trying to pull away.

Her grip closed down tightly over his hand, and he hissed as a large bolt of electricity shot through his arm unexpectedly. The air sizzled and cracked around them, and Tony let his machine roar quietly, fully prepared to drop them both to keep the tower from being burned down.

She stiffened, grounding herself fully to the floor. The soles of her shoes began to melt, but she was in a trance, overwhelmed by the heat. She had Thor’s hand in a vice grip, unable to let go. It was like being electrocuted—she was trembling, struggling to move away from the source. She exhaled shakily and a thread of electricity surged from her mouth.

“Let go,” Thor ordered,” Alyssa, I do not want to hurt you. Let go.”

Her eyes opened suddenly—they were a vivid white, filled with pure bubbling electricity, and Thor flinched back at it. That was impossible; surely he was seeing things.

“I can’t,” she told him, her voice calm. Her outfit was beginning to singe around the hems, and Thor squeezed her hand tightly, trying to get her to release him.

He felt like he was suffocating, like she was draining him. Her hand suddenly lit up like a blue flame, and he roared, desperate to escape her heat. She watched him with her lightning eyes, tilting her head in curiosity. She inhaled sharply, slumping forward onto the balls of her feet.

“She’s gonna blow,” Steve said, loud enough for them to hear, but she couldn’t understand anything over the roar of power thrumming through her ears.

She felt sick. She felt miserable. She wanted to scream at Thor to shove her off, to make it stop. Pain bubbled up in her chest, down through her legs like white-hot lava, searing through her muscles and bones. It was excruciating. Her knees buckled, and against Thor’s strength she dragged them both to the ground. The heat was gluing their hands together and she couldn’t cut it off. A whimper escaped her suddenly.

“I could help, but you need to remove the bands,” Loki hissed, annoyed, for the first time, it seemed by his lack of abilities.

“In your dreams, Reindeer Games,” Tony sighed, walking towards them.

He turned the blaster on and shot them both with the white foam, but it only disintegrated in their proximity. He tried to get closer, but he could feel the heat swelling inside his suit. It was melting the metal around him. Thor grunted, trying to pry her hand off. She was reaching her breaking point, and her eyes fluttered shut, but the switch in her mind wouldn’t turn off. Thor had no other choice, though he felt horrible about it. He crushed her hand, breaking the bones in her knuckles swiftly.

In an instant, the lightning diminished, and she dropped to the ground with a harsh thud, completely unconscious.

______

“ What the hell were you thinking?” Tony hissed.

They had waited nearly twenty minutes before they could get to her. She’d been far too hot to touch, and Thor couldn’t get near her again without the electricity bubbling up and seaping through her somehow. Now they had her in Loki’s cell, just in case she flared up, and Bruce was working on casting her hand. Luckily, she was more durable because of her abilities, but healing would still be slow. Bruce managed to perform a laparoscopic surgery to piece her bones back together thanks to Tony’s new x-ray technology, but she still needed to wear a cast for the next month or so.

“I was thinking that you all would like to live,” Thor responded tightly.

She was still unconscious, but she’d had a nose bleed and fell into a self-induced coma. Bruce predicted that she would wake up in the next few hours, maybe even a day or so. Her brain activity was still high, so he was under the assumption that her body just needed time to recover.

“You didn’t have to knock her out,” Tony said defensively.

“He didn’t do that, Tony. Banner already said it was self-induced. Her body go too hot. She does that even when she hits her own threshold,” Nat told him. 

“I think she was right. Her powers are getting stronger. My capacity is much higher than hers but even I was feeling it. I think part of what she did was drain my resistance to strengthen her own. It seems temporary, but I’m sure it took a toll,” Thor agreed. 

“Well, she’s not doing that again. She can go back to breathing techniques with Banner,” Tony said dismissively.

“I highly doubt that will be effective now,” Loki said shortly, not glancing up from the page on his book.

“Why’s that?” Steve asked, stepping in front of him, preventing Tony from strangling Loki for his commentary.

“She’s coming into more power, more strength. She needs to learn how to channel it or it will consume her. Her connection with Thor only throttled that,” Loki said nonchalantly.

Thor nodded, “Unfortunately, my brother is correct. When I first inherited my powers, I couldn’t manage it. Father had to retract some of it, which is where my hammer came from. It’s more of a means of redirection than it is a source of power itself. Had I not had Mjolnir, it would have consumed me.”

“So, what, we need to get her something to redirect it?”

“No, she needs to surrender to it,” Thor said hesitantly.

“She would burn out,” Loki retorted, glancing up at his brother with a lifted brow.

Thor glanced at him and pressed his lips together, lifting a brow.

“No,” Loki said sharply, turning back to his book.

“Loki, it would help.”

“What would help?” Bruce asked, leaning back to admire her pale, pink cast. He hoped she liked pink. 

“I’m not doing it, Thor.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Tony interrupted sharply.

Thor sighed and stared at his brother. “Loki’s heritage is…as you know not Asgardian. If you remember, I told you Frost Giants are extremely cold. If Alyssa were to surrender to her strength, Loki’s temperature could cool her down in time to keep her from…imploding.”

“It doesn’t matter. I will _not_ do it,” Loki said, glaring harshly at him.

“I don’t want you near her at all, but if it would help her, you’re going to do it,” Tony told him firmly.

“Stark, you should know that in order for Loki to do this, we would need to place him back in the cell, alone with Alyssa, and remove the restriction bands.”

“Oh. Yeah no, never mind. We’ll figure something else out,” he scoffed.

“It’s the _only_ way to keep it from killing her. If she ignites and can’t get it under control, I won’t be able to interfere without drastically increasing the energy there. _That_ would surely kill her, and clearly no one can put it out without harming her.”

“There is no way I’m putting her in a cell alone with him. He’d kill her or use her to escape,” Tony said shaking his head.

“If he does, I will kill him myself,” Thor vowed.

Loki’s eyes shot to his brother’s, anger flaring up in the green of his irises.

“I don’t trust that you would,” Tony shot back.

“I give you my word.” He turned to Loki apprehensively. “Loki, if you do not do this, father will never let you return to approach the Norns.”

“…And if Loki dies without appealing to the Norns, he would never be able go to Valhalla,” Nat supplied. 

“Thor, if you do this, I will _never_ forgive you,” Loki hissed.

“Why is it such a big deal? If you just do what you’re supposed to do, you won’t have any problems,” Tony shot back.

“Because if I relinquish the magic that hides my true nature, I may not be able to restore it. I will not—“

“We won’t put the bands back on until—“

“I WILL _NOT_ look like a monster when I—” Loki roared and then drew whatever he was going to say back to himself. 

The bands on his wrists glowed a vibrant gold before dying back down. Loki gritted his teeth and screwed his eyes shut. Apparently the bands, when challenged, reflected that same energy back. 

“I cannot, Thor. I will not do anything to jeopardize…my chance at forgiveness,” Loki said with finality, and though it was clear to the team that Loki meant the Norn’s forgiveness, Thor knew better. 

“If you don’t do this, Loki, you may not meet with Norns at all. Father would forbid you. You know this.”

Loki didn’t respond. Instead he stared down blankly at his book.

“Loki, if you are for some reason unable to restore the veil then I will do everything in my power to help you. As would mother.”

“Fine,” he snapped, snatching up his book.

He entered the cell and seated himself on the ground beside the entrance.

“Take the bands off.”

Thor exchanged a glance with Steve, and hesitantly the super soldier followed the god into the cell. Alyssa was still unconscious, but Bruce had finished securing her cast and sling so he walked out, shaking his head.

“What if this doesn’t work? What if Loki can’t cool her down?” Bruce inquired.

Steve removed the band he’d placed and stepped out, standing in front of the door until Thor finished.

It will work,” Thor promised.

He removed the two on Loki’s wrists, but the last one could only be removed by the girl. Thor exited the cell and eyed his brother cautiously.

“If you do this, Loki, I feel certain that the Norns will redeem you,” he said solemnly.

Loki turned his head away from them,” I cannot be redeemed, _Odinson_.”


	7. Chapter Seven

It was nearly a day before she finally regained consciousness, and Tony had settled her on what used to be Loki’s bed before locking them in. He’d sat steadily in front of the monitors, watching for any indication that she’d woken or that Loki was up to something. It was around six the next morning when she finally stirred, shifting her shoulder uncomfortably.

“Congratulations, you’re alive,” Loki said nonchalantly, not looking up at her.

She winced at the noise. It felt like her senses were on overdrive. Her pinky finger twitched in her cast.

“What the hell happened?”

“You channelled Thor’s abilities and nearly killed yourself in the process. He broke your hand to get you to let go. Pity.”

He’d read the book three times already from his spot on the ground, but he’d made no attempt to get another. He knew his wishes would be denied, and if the girl blew a fuze, he didn’t want his books to suffer.

“Why am I in here?” She regarded the cast with disdain, turning her wrist over to see the other side.

“Your friends seem to think you’re going to spiral, which you will if you have any hopes of surviving. you’ll have to relinquish yourself to your powers before you can understand them enough to control them.”

“And why are you here?”

He still hadn’t looked up from the book, and it was clear he had no interest in doing so.

“If you do spiral, I’m your only hope of cooling you off enough to keep your little, mortal heart beating.”

“How’s that?”

“Firstly, you’ll take this off,” he said, flexing his leg indicatively. “Your captain and my oaf of a brother already removed the rest. I’ll be able to bring forth the appearance of my true nature and freeze you back to submission. After that, you’ll have to learn to keep a grasp on it until we’re allowed out.”

She glanced at his ankle with apprehension. “Why would you do that?”

His eyes snapped to her with a glare,” I don’t have much of a choice.”

She swallowed. “I can remove it. “

“I know that.”

She rolled her eyes at his cheek. “I mean, I will. If you’ll come here.”

He eyed her suspiciously.

“I don’t exactly feel up to moving too much. If you want it off you can come to me,” she insisted.

He sighed and pushed himself up elegantly from his spot on the floor. She watched him with curious eyes as he rose to his feet. He was taller than she seemed to recall. Then again, the most she’d really been around him was when he was sitting, lying down, or a good distance away. She forced herself into a sitting position, wincing, and then indicated for him to sit next to her. He was surprised she’d allow such proximity. He seated himself and stared at her back when she leaned down to his ankle. It took her a minute with the cast on, but she managed, and in a second it rolled inwards on itself and clasped around her index finger like a ring.

She drew back and admired the golden band. It actually looked quite pretty.

“The quicker you release the energy, the quicker we can get out of here,” he told her, moving off the bed to walk around.

He flexed his fingers, watching little spikes of green magic flow from the tips.

“What, you want me to just, flame on and hope you can stop it from overwhelming me?”

“Yes.”

“How do I know you can do it?”

He glared at her then lifted his arm. He didn’t even have to roll his sleeve back to demonstrate. He just placed his hand against the glass and let it turn a deep indigo. Ice splintered up the inside instantly. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she stood weakly to examine it closer.

  
“No,” he hissed, stepping back from her.

She frowned,” If I can’t touch it, how are you supposed to help?”

“If you touch me like this when you’re not on fire, it will scorch you, you daft girl.”

She narrowed her eyes, “I’m not daft. I don’t know anything about what you can do.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Sit down. Focus on your energy. When you feel it start to overwhelm you, let it. You need to endure it for a moment, let it reach its full capacity before I step in.”

She sighed, but decided she didn’t want to be in the cell anymore than she had to be. She’d done that for six month before and she had no desire to be back there. She crossed her legs beneath her in the middle of the floor and closed her eyes.

She did what she had originally with Thor and pictured the heat boiling in her belly, moving up through her chest, to her arms. It didn’t take long. It was always just barely kept at bay. She managed to restrain it for a moment, keeping her breathing slow and methodical as she felt the flames hiss at her skin.

“Good, keep going,” Loki said, his velvety voice locking her in a trance.

Her brows furrowed and she tensed, trying to force it up and out.

“You’re stronger than that. Quit resisting it. Let it consume you. Picture it vividly in front of you and step into it.”

She did, imagining it bubbling up in front of her, taking the shape of a doorway. The flames were blue, flickering at her enticingly. In her mind, she reached towards, trying to push herself through it. It wasn’t until she lifted her hand up shakily, her casted one, to the doorway that she felt it snap. She gasped as the fire engulfed her cast and scorched it cleanly off her skin. Her hair was lapping at her cheeks, at her jaw and her hips. She could feel her suit starting to feel tight, constricting as it tried to keep up with her temperature. She let a feral groan when it hit her at full force in the chest. It was nearly as hot as it was with Thor. Had she absorbed his powers? She stood, trying to catch her breath, reign it back in. She was terrified. She couldn’t see anymore even when she opened her eyes. Her throat constricted and she screeched, fighting against it.

“You’re hindering yourself, let it in!” Loki snapped from a few feet behind her.

She clawed at her throat with a whine.

“Breath it in, like smoke,” he ordered.

Finally, she did, and god, was it excruciating. She absorbed the image she envisioned back into her body and when she opened her eyes, all she could see was fire. The benches and the bed were melting, sizzling with a loud roar. She grimaced at the sensation. It felt like she was being stabbed by a million needles. She fought for the next breath, and another, and then she was wheezing because she couldn’t take anymore in. That’s when she felt his arm wrap around her waist and snatch her backwards into his chest. The other went around her throat, keeping her close and forcing her down onto the ground, practically beneath him as he huddled easily over her.

His touch was colder than ice, it was like drowning herself in an arctic glacier and then being tossed into the deepest abyss. It seemed to freeze her to her core and she moaned dreadfully at the feeling. With the intense pain came great pleasure. His skin sizzled against hers, forcing the heat down into submission, and the flames quit lapping at her chest, disappearing all together. The cold was lulling her into a calm sway, as if she were floating on glacial waters. The initial sting was soon replaced with chilled gratification, and she finally relaxed. 

Miraculously, she hadn’t fainted, but when she finally felt strong enough to open her eyes, she was on the ground, being pinning by Loki as he stared into her eyes, his brows furrowed in confusion.

She stared back up at him, into crimson red pupils. Her wrists were held in his grasp above her head, and he was practically straddling her, but everything was completely silent. His mouth was moving, but she couldn’t hear him.

She blinked hazily up at him, and she wrestled her wrist from out beneath him. Her hand flexed instinctually and she found that the her bones had pieced back together. The heat, or the ice, must have healed it somehow. He glared at her harder when her fingers ran lightly over the ridges in his jaw. He caught her wrist and settled it down over her belly, forcing her to keep it to herself. She huffed indignantly and turned her head to the side. She could see their reflection in the glass, and suddenly she was scrambling to cover herself, humiliated by her lack of clothing. _How had she burned through that suit? It was supposed to be indestructible!_

Before she could move away from him, Loki covered her in a thick, dark green cloak. She wasn’t completely naked, but her suit had burned off in some pretty interesting places. She clung to it as he moved back and off of her, but the second he did, she was flaming back up again. Loki cursed and snatched her back up, securing her in his lap before leaning his back into the glass wall behind him. When she finally settled, draped over his thighs, she drew in a sharp breath, and all the noises came back suddenly. Someone was addressing her as agent, and she turned her head to look for the source before she realized it was Loki. She finally stilled in his lap, and let her conscience return to her.

“There you are,” he sighed, looking away from her.

“Here I am,” she said dopily, tugging the cloak closer.

She was cold now, but it felt nice. She felt relaxed for the first time in forever.

“Can you control it now?” he asked frustratedly, trying to put her down.

She nodded meekly, “I think so.” 

She shifted off of him, careful to keep herself covered and held her breath, waiting for something to happen. She released it, and then breathed deeply in, out again. Her shoulders slumped and she seemed to surrender to it again, as if it would come bubbling back up with her guard down. It didn’t. She poked her arm through the opening of the cloak and snapped her fingers. A dim spark erupted, and died back down. 

"Did you take it away or something?” She asked. It wasn’t accusatory, but it was curious how she went from being overwhelmed to having hardly any power at all so quickly.

“No, but your core is frozen,” he said, "it could take a few days for it to return to normal."

She nodded, glancing back over at him as he shut his eyes. Very slowly, the dark blue of his skin faded back into the creamy complexion she was more familiar with. 

“Okay. Tony, I know you’re watching or listening. Let me out!” She called upon noticing the usual guard weren’t there. Probably to afford her privacy if her suit did disintegrate. She was grateful for it. 

After a few moments, Tony and the rest of the team came down. Thor and Steve both held their restraints for Loki, and she glanced down at her finger to unlock it. Her eyes widened at the sight and she shot Loki a glance. He seemed to have noticed the issue as well because he sighed and leaned back against the wall. On her finger, the golden band had melted off with the continuous shifting of temperature, and now it lay in a dripping pattern down her finger. 

__


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, sorry this took so long! I kind of lost my inspiration and ultimately decided I didn’t like the way this was unfolding. I reworked it numerous times in my head over the past month and finally came to a conclusion. This story needed to change. I needed to lead you in a different path so that the next few chapters make more sense. 
> 
> So, this is IMPORTANT!   
> Do NOT read this chapter until you have reread from chapter one until this point. I have changed some major points that if you do not go back and read, this chapter will be confusing and weird. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you guys for reading and I am very exciting to get back into writing!

It had been a week since her encounter with Loki. She had both thanked him and apologized for the events that occurred because Thor had to return to Asgard for another band before Loki could be released from the cell again. He was distant towards her, cold and not very sociable. He wasn’t rude, but it was clear to her that he was uncomfortable with her having seen him in that state, and thus didn’t want to interact with her. For the past week, when she was in the arena working out or practicing her abilities or combat techniques, Loki would stay in his room or in the common areas. When she was in the common areas, he’d go to the training arena or to his room. 

Today though, something changed. She was already in the training arena, laughing with Nat about something she’d done in their last sparing session when Loki and Thor walked in. Thor had taken well to fighting a holographic simulation Tony had constructed for him, and Loki found himself on the bleachers again, crossing his ankles as he cracked open another book. Loki didn’t often participate in working out or sparring, mostly because he didn’t enjoy it, but also because no one trusted him enough to actually spar with him. No one but Thor, at least. Occasionally, Loki would and his brother would have a go at each other on the mats, but lately, Thor was preoccupied with the simulation. 

Alyssa nodded at Nat when Steve walked over to them. The two of them were getting ready for a session, and Alyssa already had her own plans for a core workout. It had been a suggestion from Bruce to build her core strength because he said it would help with her meditation and yoga practices. She’d just gotten to the arena a few moments ago, so she hadn’t warmed up or stretched. She stared with some simple exercises. She sat down and spread her legs into a stretch, leaning to one side to grab her foot before bouncing gracefully to the other. When she bowed down the through middle, her hair fell over her face and got in her way which is when she decided to finally put her hair up. She tossed her hair forward as she stood and tied it swiftly back into a tight, high ponytail. It was convenient and out of her way, so she carried on with her usual routine. Thor was already stabbing and kicking over holograms, Steve and Nat were already engaged in battle, and Tony was over at the far wall testing his new designs. Bruce was supposed to help her with some techniques when she finished, so she smiled at him when he walked in. The motion of the door drew Loki’s attention, and he glanced around observationally from his book. She was too entranced in her own workout to notice him much. Just as she brought her leg up to stretch it above her head, she was throttled forward into the nearest wall. It was mirrored, so she could see the rage in his features as he shoved her harder, his stony body pressed firmly into her. A gasp had barely escaped her lips by the time the team caught sight of what was happening. Before they could even shift forward, in some inexplicable display of power, Loki erected a glowing golden wall between them and the others. It was enormous, as it built a barrier all the way up to the ceiling, and all the way across the room. There was no way in our out. 

And Steve tried, his hand against the barrier zapped him with enough force to knock him backwards. When Thor tried, he absorbed the electricity, but couldn’t push past the barrier. She was brought back to Loki, her cheek pressed into the glass as her hair was yanked harshly away from her neck. She winced painfully as his fingers dug into her hip, while the other scrutinized something on her neck. 

“Who sent you?” He hissed vehemently. 

“What?” She breathed out, confused, trying to wiggle her way out of his hold. She couldn’t. 

Her eyes shot to the bands on his wrists and ankles. They were glowing vividly like they were fighting, trying to suppress his power. Obviously they weren’t working anymore. 

“Was it Thanos? The Other? Is this my punishment for failing? Were you there with her?” He snapped, his nails drawing blood at her hip and shoulder. 

“Loki, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I swear. I’ve never heard of Thanos or The Other and I don’t know who ‘she' is!” She squeaked. 

“Sure you do,” he snarled. 

Behind her, she could barely make out the others yelling and banging on the barrier, demanding Loki to let her go. Tony was attempting to shoot blasts at it but the just ricocheted back. 

“You were there, weren’t you? Watched them hurt her? Watched them _rape_ her?” He spat.

“Maybe I should do the same to you as they did to her. Tell me, how did you find her mark, hm?”

Where fear had trickled into her mind, it now gushed at the threat. 

“What mark?” 

Quit being coy,” he roared, dragging her back slightly only to shover her with more force into the mirrored wall. It cracked around her, distorting her view of him. 

She whined quietly,” I don’t know about any mark. I don’t know what that is or where it is or who the girl you’re talking about—“   
  


"The mark on your neck,” he seethed venomously. “This mark—“ 

His finger pressed harshly into a sensitive spot at the nape of her neck, and her whole body recoiled, lurching forward though there was no where to go. She gasped as a million dots of pain erupted over her skin, in her brain, down her spine—it was excruciating, and when the pain finally receded, Loki had taken a step back, eyes wide with horror and pain, anger and sadness, desperation and despair. She panted, glancing up cautoilsy at herself in the mirror only to not recognize the girl staring back. Gone was her dark hair and deep brown eyes. The fairness in her complexion remained, but her eyes had turned such a dark shade of blue they reminded her of denim, and her had was woven with both brown and blonde strands alike. Her jaw thinned and her cheeks filled slightly, giving her face a rounder, but healthier appearance. She stared in confusion at herself until she was being turned around to face Loki. There were tears pooling in his eyes, and she shook her head slightly in confusion. 

Thor was yelling again, arguing with Tony through the barrier as the Asgardian seemed to be coming to the same conclusion Loki had. Before she could protest again, Loki’s hands was being wrapped around the back of her neck and his other arm swung around to keep her pressed firmly to him, supporting her weight. 

A million flashes scattered across her mind. 

_Her first memory was in the hospital. The room was loud with lots of beeping noises and scary-looking machines. She was lying down, confined in a small box as someone hovered over her, gently wiping her tears. It was a woman who looked oddly familiar, and she realized almost immediately that it was Loki in a feminine version of himself. In the reflection of his vivid green eyes, she could see herself as a baby, wrapped in a blanket with wires all around her._

_The second memory was at her first foster home. The man and woman were arguing in the corner about something as the man puffed on a cigarette. She was crying again, though this time it was loud sobs and the woman kept pointing at her animatedly. The man waved his hand dismissively and flicked his cigarette into the sink, where the woman immediately turned the water on and threw a dirty plate at the man. She was hungry, she realized. In her baby form, she was starving and they didn’t seem to pay attention to her. The woman snatched her up harshly and then dumped her in the crib in a small room. It was dark and scary and her ribs hurt from the tight grip the woman held. Loki appeared again, looking very much the way he did now only a few years younger. He cooed at her, shushed her gently and lifted her up into his arms. Immediately she felt safe as he drew her to his chest, bouncing her gently. Tickling fingers made their way to where it hurt and his fingers glowed as they pressed down gently. The pain vanished as quickly as the bottle in his hand appeared, and he rocked her gently in his arms as he fed her and burped her. As her eyes fluttered shut, Loki laid her down, changed her soiled diaper and put her in a clean, soft onesie. A small lovey appeared in her hand as he wrapped her in a blanket._

_Another flash, and she was in a bathroom, nearly two years old she thought, hiding from all the yelling and shouting. Doors were slammed and she could hear people physically fighting. Her hands pressed over her ears to block out the noise, and suddenly Loki was there again. He lifted her up and bounced her gently in his arms as he started the bath water. He made a rubber duck appear, making her laugh as he made it quack. She clapped her hands excitedly, and the noise in the background faded away. When Loki turned her towards to mirror to set her down, she caught a glimpse of her child-like reflection. She was dirty, covered in what looked like black dust. Her belly rumbled as Loki undressed her, and in another soft glow of magic, there was a meal in front of her. He fed her while she played in the bubble bath._

_This time she was four, hiding under the covers because she was scared of the monster under her bed. Crying for her foster father at the time led to a different man from the first appearing and yelling at her. She was crying when Loki appeared, and him checking under her bed and in her closet soothed her fears. He summoned his wolf, a large, black furry creature that made her giggle when he licked at her chin. Loki grinned and drew her to his chest where she curled up and fell asleep petting the animal._

_At five, she was playing outside in the grass, alone, when Loki showed up. She felt upset, but she didn’t know why._

_‘Loki,” she shouted gleefully, launching herself into his arms._

_He caught her with ease and sat down, cradling her to his chest again. ”Hello, little one,” he whispered._

_She frowned suddenly,” My friends at school didn’t believe me when I told them about you.”_

_His brows lifted in surprise. “And what did you tell them?”_

_“That I had a friend who came and brought me gifts and did magic. That you play with me when mom and dad won’t.”_

_He frowned slightly. “I think maybe we should keep my existence to ourselves.”_

_And when he left after playing with two toys he’d given her, he touched her head and made her forget him._

_Another flash—she was six now. She was playing in the road, unsupervised. She recognized the house as her third foster home. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she was certain no one was home. Loki made a bike appear and pushed her around on it for a while until she got the hang of it. He made her promise to never play in the streets without him. Then he was carrying her into the house where he made her pancakes, eggs, and bacon for dinner. Another bath, and he was putting her to bed._

_There was a larger jump in time, and somehow all the missing pieces were being drawn together and filled in as her own memories began to come back. Now she was twelve. By that time, she’d been through seven different homes, and none of them had wanted to keep her. She was too much trouble, too easily excited or upset. This home she liked. The people were nice to her, but they didn’t pay her much attention. She was hiking with them, and they were oblivious to her falling behind as she tried to climb over the big rocks and hop over the limbs. They’d gotten too far ahead and she couldn’t see them anymore. In her haste to find them for fear of getting lost, she jumped over a rock and started sliding. They were already a good ways up, and when she went sliding down the side of the cliff, arms wrapped firmly around her. In seconds, they were back on the top, further along the mountain than she had been previously. She was panting with fear until Loki restored her memory. He chastised her for not being careful, but then he was rolling up her jeans and tending to her scrapes and sprained ankle. He carried her back down and waited with her until her foster parents finally showed up back at the car, laughing with each other and clearly oblivious to what had happened to her. Loki vanished, and with him, her memories. The next time she saw him in her vision, she was thirteen. The same parents were telling her goodnight, but after bedtime, the man returned to her, smiling as he presented her with a stuffed animal. She regarded it coolly and curled up against her pillow, suddenly uncomfortable. He tried to pull her sheets down—reached out for the hem of her nightgown. Before his fingers even brushed against her, Loki was there and shoving him off. The door shut behind him as he dragged the man into the living room. She didn’t see what happened, couldn’t hear it either, but when Loki returned, there was blood on his shirt. He carried her away that night, disguised himself as a woman and took her back to her social worker. He’d made a lot of demands, and she stayed quiet, playing with the stuffed toy Loki had provided her with. It looked identical to Fenrir, his wolf, and it was that day that she decided it was her favorite animal._

_On nights when Loki couldn’t be there with her, she slept with the toy tucked against her chest. She liked the next foster home best. The woman was kind and the man was, too. They must’ve known her past because he kept his distance. The woman bought her nice clothes, took her to the zoo, even took her to swimming lessons. The car wreck flashed briefly through her mind, as though she had witnessed it but wasn’t allowed to remember. Somehow she knew it was Loki’s doing. She was back in the hospital being poked and prodded, checking for injuries. They kept talking about how remarkable it was that she had none._

_The next home was not the worst, but it certainly wasn’t the best. The man and woman argued constantly, and every night, Loki came to her. She’d gotten too old to play, but she wasn’t old enough for any other sort of activities, so she just laid on his chest while he read to her. She had been a late bloomer. That much she knew. The doctors had said it was because of traumatic stress. When she did finally get her period, it happened at school. She was mortified. Loki had found her tucked away in a stall, terrified of the blood she found coming out of her. He explained what was happening and took her home. Normally she would’ve walked home with him, but he’d sensed her distress and went to her immediately. Loki had stopped helping her bathe many years ago, but he did run her a warm bath, make her dinner, and gave her ice cream. He’d summoned some feminine products and told her how to use them. He read to her until she fell asleep again. Loki had stopped taking her memories of him away when he left after the car crash. She knew better than to talk to anyone else about him, not that it was difficult. She didn’t have many friends and her parents were never home._

_She’d grown so comfortable with having Loki in her life that she’d found a familiar routine. From the time she got out of school for the day to the time she left for school in the morning, Loki was with her. Nearly two weeks after her period, and after about a thousand questions, she found herself curled against Loki once more as he read to her. It was Asgardian, in a language the couldn’t understand, but Loki knew she enjoyed hearing his voice, not being able to understand it lulled her to sleep quickly. That night, however, she wasn’t interested in sleep. She was curious about her body, how it worked. Loki had given her books on female anatomy, and she finally fully understood things about sex and babies that she never had before. While he was reading that night, she slipped her hand innocently under the blankets. Loki didn’t stop reading, not until she slipped her fingers into her panties and started rubbing. It become obvious to him pretty quickly what she was doing, and it made him nervous. His body tensed and he started to close the book._

_“I should go,” he said gently. She could tell he was trying not to scare her. He was trying very hard not to make her feel ashamed or uncomfortable, but he felt his presence was inappropriate at that point._

_Immediately she withdrew her hand and her eyes filled with worry. She didn’t want to be alone, not then, not ever. She begged him not to leave, and he finally conceded. He continued reading as though nothing was happening next to him, and she worked herself up and up but found no relief. She finally rolled into him and gave up. She hadn’t tried again for nearly a month, finding solace in the comfort Loki brought her and not the ramblings of her peers who boasted about their sexual conquests. She was frustrated she could never find any relief._

_On her sixteenth birthday, Loki presented her with a cake and a bag full of carefully wrapped gifts. He’d given her many over the years, often for no reason or without an occasion. She he read to her that night, she had decided to slip her hand beneath her panties again. He stilled and paused in his reading, but he ultimately made no comment on it and continued reading, again, as though nothing her happening. It wasn’t until she started sobbing in frustration that Loki finally prompted her to discuss it. She explained that no matter what she did, she couldn’t find any pleasure in it. All the kids at school bragged about their sexual experiences, and she couldn’t even figure her own body out. Loki held her as she cried in his lap, and then he started playing with her hair. She insisted she was deformed somehow, and after a soft chuckle, he assure her she was not. It took a lot of begging to convince him to help her. But after an hour of her pestering him relentlessly while he tried to read her to sleep, he gave in. Book set aside, he situated her between his legs, leaning back against his chest. His hands slid gently up and down her sides, ghosted up over her arms, and massaged her shoulders gently. Brushing her hair to one side, he nestled his chin in the crook of her neck, and stroked her thighs as she spread them eagerly. He set each of her legs outside of his so that his thighs kept them spread for her. She relaxed back against him as he stroked her soft skin, up her thighs, gently back down, beneath her shirt over her sides, and back down lightly over her belly. Her breathing was already erratic at the tingles he left behind. His fingers moved to her belly where massaged and stroked, then to her inner thighs for the first time. She breathed out delicately as he threaded their fingers together and trailed down her stomach over her panties. She was drenched by the time they got there, something she'd been unable to achieve before he started. Their fingers slipped beneath the band of her panties and passed lightly over her folds, up and down, back and forth until Loki settled her over her clitoris. She whined desperately, her hips thrusting up slightly to meet his cool fingers. He chuckled against her ear and showed her how to move her fingers, where to touch, how to push herself over the edge. Loki let her orgasm three times, which is when she was too exhausted to move. He kissed her forward and tucked her in, and finished reading his book to her._

_That hadn’t happened again. The next times she orgasmed, she did so alone, and by the end of that year, Loki had stopped visiting her. She had never felt so alone, so empty or so abandoned in her life. She’d been betrayed and forgotten by so many people, so many parent figures, that that feeling of guilt and neglect overwhelmed her. Loki’s disappearance had crushed her. It wasn’t until she was kidnapped that she realized what had happened to him and why he’d left…Thanos._

When her eyes finally opened, Loki was already staring at her patiently waiting for her reaction. He was still supporting her weight, which she was grateful for now. She could hear Thor talking, probably explaining things to the rest of the team, but her attention was solely on the man before her. 

“You didn’t leave,” she whispered. 

“You didn’t die,” he responded, still looking her over as though she might disappear again. 

She launched herself into his arms, something she’d done a million times before. But, this time was different. This time she would never forget and Loki would never let go. 


End file.
